


What We've Been Dealt

by Raferus



Category: The Hobbit (2012), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Loosely based off of Ella Enchanted, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-04
Updated: 2013-02-09
Packaged: 2017-11-28 04:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/670393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raferus/pseuds/Raferus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At birth, Hobbits are given special Gifts that may define who they are and what they can do. Unfortunately for Bilbo Baggins, his Gift of Obedience is more of a curse, so he strikes out to settle where no one knows about his Gift.<br/>Perhaps opening a tavern wasn't the smartest move, but he can't bring himself to regret his decision when he's grown so fond of some of his dwarven regulars.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

The heritage of hobbits is not oft spoken of, though it is said they hold kinship with Men. Others believe they share ancestry with the dwarves, which is closer to the truth but not wholly accurate. When asked, hobbits simply shrug and answer that they know not. To learn this secret, you must first understand the term 'Halfling', which is an apt description for a race that is only half of a being. For hobbits are beings raised from the earth.

“Raised,” you ask,” By what?"

Well, that is the secret. The hobbits are no children of Ilúvatar, Yavanna, or Aulë. They were begotten by earth magic wielded by the Fae.

When Yavanna plead for beings to protect the forests, Eru also spread life to the mountains. Stone giants arose as their protectors, but a spark of life was left over. From that spark the Fae came into being. Immortal but unable to bear children (for there are no discernible genders among them), they are small beings with beautiful gems embedded in their stony flesh. It is for that reason that they hid themselves away from the rest of the world, knowing the greed of Dwarf and Man would pose them threat.

It was in hills too small to be called mountains, yet too treacherous to settle that the Fae made their home. There they lived happily with only each other for company and the magic gathered in the earth for entertainment. Yet as the years wore on, boredom weighted heavily on the mind of one Fae.

This Fae, known as Took, was an adventurous sort where others were not. One night, while everyone slept, Took left the hills to visit the forest below. At the bottom, however, the Fae came upon a camp of dwarves. Unfortunately, one dwarf remained awake as lookout and let out a mighty shout. Both beings were startled, though the fear of a fae awoke the hills and before anything could be done otherwise, great rocks came crashing down upon the dwarf camp.

Poor Took was distraught. All that had been wanted was a closer look at these children of Aulë, spoken about only in tales of terror. An hour was spent digging them out and mourning briefly. Then inspiration struck the Fae, who rushed back to the hills to fetch the others.

Boredom hadn't set upon solely Took, thus when the idea to give new life to the dwarves was explained, some of the others latched upon it eagerly. They returned to the camp all together and gathered supplies for their magic from the wood. Branches, stones, and seeds were arranged intricately, if a bit randomly, around the bodies before they could begin. The Fae separated, each to a dwarf, and began weaving their magic up from the earth and into the corpses.

Now, magic can be finicky and it chose to be so with this use, for when the dwarves rose, why... They could hardly be called dwarves at all! Their beards had been lost, as well as nearly a foot to their height. But they were grateful nonetheless, for it had been quite uncomfortable being dead. Their memories as dwarves were lost to them and the Fae named them Halflings, born half of magic, but called them hobbits. Each Fae felt a connection to the hobbit they raised, and the hobbits to them. So it was that when names were chosen, they added the name of their Fae at the end.  


The Hobbits settled at the foot of the hills and the Fae returned above, venturing down on special occasions. The most common, and most celebrated, were births. When a fauntling was born, the fae of the families born from would bestow upon the child a Gift. Not just any gift, but one born of magic and ingrained into their being. Perhaps a skill, or inherent knowledge, but each living hobbit was granted something different (even if Gifts of old were reused).

Some of those Fae who had not assisted in the creation of hobbits soon grew jealous of their kinship with their brethren. Splitting into two groups, the other Fae left to find new homes, and perhaps even to raise Halflings anew.

Years passed until one generation of hobbits grew tired of how dangerous life was by the hills; wolves from the forest sometimes ventured too close and the hills themselves shifted dangerously at times. Word came that other hobbits, raised by the groups who left, had also grown restless and discontent. The Fae yearned to see the rest of their race, for they were family after all, and agreed to journey with their hobbits to find a new home.

The groups came together west of the Mitheithel and began to settle the land. The hobbits built their homes right into the ground for each family, though their Fae elected to dig their own home deep underground in the middle of each town. Town halls were erected above their caverns, as a meeting place for the Halflings and Fae when it became necessary.

Despite the content that the races felt, some were not fully ready to settle. Ever taking after their adventurous fae, Took's hobbits led a group across the Baranduin river to start their own lives. Took and a few Fae who had not joined with any families followed along, connecting with these new branches of families and helping create the land now known as The Shire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! If you spot anything that needs to be changed, feel free to let me know!  
> This will end up being Bilbo/Thorin eventually. It remains to be seen if that's sooner or later, though.


	2. Wishes of Garnet

It was an early Autumn evening that gave two very dissimilar Fae reason to venture to the surface together, though it was a journey that both had looked forward to for many months. If you are curious, it had been eagerly awaited since the marriage of Belladonna Took to Bungo Baggins. It was the first time of Took's family had merged into the line of Baggins' hobbits, and it would be quite an understatement to say Baggins was looking forward to it. 

Before we continue on with our story, you should learn a little more about this other Fae. Baggins was never one to break from routine, and had almost been unwilling to leave the hills of their first home. This Fae was one of those who did not raise a Halfling but connected with a family that branched out on their own. When a group was gathered to cross the Baranduin, it took much cajoling from Took to get the reluctant Fae to join and help settle the Shire. And settle they did, for the family of hobbits Baggins connected with had also needed to be coaxed into leaving Bree-land and showed no intentions of ever relocating again. 

The promise of a family that wouldn't leave wasn't quite enough to satisfy Baggins. While they may have had quite contrary natures, Took was one of the closest friends the unadventurous Fae had. To be quite sure there were no more journeys, Baggins wanted to give a Gift to a very Tookish hobbit that would keep them (and Took) in the Shire. Yet Gifts could only be given at birth to those inside their line. All that could be done was wait, and finally the waiting had paid off. Belladonna Baggins (formerly Belladonna Took) had just finished giving birth, and Bilbo Baggins was ready to receive his Gifts.

Bungo opened the door for the two Fae upon their knocking at midnight. Both bowed their heads and turned their palms upwards before entering, receiving the same gestures in kind from Bungo and his cousin Rosa, who was acting as their midwife.

“They are in there, though Bilbo has just fallen asleep,” Bungo said, nodding towards the room Rosa had just come from. “That, er, that won't be a problem, will it?”

A light tinkling noise came from Took, announcing the Fae's amusement as they both shook their heads, though Baggins gave the other a disapproving look for laughing.  
“No, fear not. Our Gifts can be received in sleep.” Baggins told him, voice discordant and jarring from being unaccustomed to speech. Bungo relaxed minutely at the words, but couldn't help but remain somewhat nervous as he followed them into the room with his wife and child. 

Belladonna had Bilbo cradled to her chest and could only offer the Fae a bow of her head. Slowly she unhooked the fauntling's hand from her nightshirt and extended him away from her, towards the two. As Fae of the family born into, Baggins approached to Gift the child first, as a greeting.

“Child of Took, I welcome you into the world and receive you into my line. I greet you as friend and family with a Gift to help you shape and grow. May it link us and share with you the strength of my devotion. For this hope, I Gift you with Obedience.” At the last word, long, stony fingers reached out and slid across the clear gem embedded in the skin just below Bilbo's right collar bone. Tendrils of colour seeped into the jewel until it was entirely wine red. 

Baggins stepped back, head bowed as Took moved to fill the now empty spot by the bed. There were a few moments of silence as the Fae thought, Secondary Gifts meant to complement and share meaning with the Primary Gift. They were gifted last, to signify departure from the Fae's family. 

“Child of my magic, I welcome you into the world to see you part from my line. My farewell is bid with the desire to see you thrive. I sever our connection with a Gift of my protection and prosperity.” Took paused then leaned close to whisper the last line to Bilbo, fingers brushing the gem under his left collarbone. No one heard what this Gift was, but as Took stepped away they were shocked to see the jewel turned sea-green instead of matching the other's colour. 

Outrage was clear in Baggins' posture and face, though nothing was yet said of the insult given. Never before had a Fae given a Gift that did not match the other in intent, and no one was sure why Took would do so to a friend. The two stood side by side and clasped hands (though Baggins did so very reluctantly) to speak the next part in unison.

“An heir of Took has joined into the Baggins line. Our magic has been woven into his fate under the reign of the night and, though darkness surrounds this hour, may he find strength in his Gift in the radiance of Telperion. As greeting and farewell, our Gifts have been given and our role is done. Now we trust in you, Belladonna of Took and Bungo of Baggins, to guide his future true to him.”

The Fae looked at each Halfling of their line as they ended the speech, the words lingering in the air, before they nodded and turned to leave. No one dared speak until the Fae had truly gone, the spell broken only when the front door shut. Three pairs of eyes then turned to the still sleeping Bilbo and his pair of mismatched Gift-stones. 

It should be mentioned that the colours of the stones are very important to hobbits and their ideas of propriety. The colour and type of gem imbued in a hobbit lets others know what is expected from an individual. As you may know, hobbits are quite consistent and set in their ways and to have two different colours... Well, then no one is sure what to anticipate. After all, how do you expect the unexpected?

Luckily for young Bilbo, it is not considered proper to allow one's Gift-stones to be seen in public. To announce their Gifts, Halflings wear a special bracelet, passed down by previous hobbits with similar gifts, with a jewel of the same type and colour as theirs on display. A bracelet of garnet, which represented the Gift given by Baggins, was easily acquired and fitted to the young hobbit. However, despite all their research, no one could determine the stone left behind by Took nor its meaning, and so Bilbo wore only garnet. His chest was kept hidden, and no one but very close relatives were aware of his peculiarity. It was a wise decision to stay quiet about it, as well, for his Gift of Obedience manifested at the age of nine in a way no one could have foreseen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, guys. I meant to have it up yesterday and then ended up wrestling with the speech for too long. 
> 
> This is the last I've planned that we'll see of the Fae, but I'm curious if any of you would like to see them return.
> 
> Feedback and critique is appreciated!
> 
> Telperion, considered male, was the elder of the Two Trees of Valinor and was a source of silver light to the Valar. Laurelin, considered female, was the younger and shed golden light. In jealousy, Melkor enlisted the help of Ungoliant, a giant spider and ancestor to Shelob, to destroy the two trees. Yavanna and Nienna saved a flower from Telperion and a fruit from Laurelin, turning Telperion's flower into the moon and Laurelin's fruit into the sun.


End file.
